Upper Delaware Fly Fishing Report
WEEKEND OUTLOOK
This weekend is forecast to bring us some rainfall. Over the next 3 days there are rain showers predicted for later today and Sunday. Rain Squalls are possible at any time.
This could be tough conditions for anglers if the forecast is correct. It will most likely however be excellent for insect activity and dry fly fishing. March Browns normally emerge in much steadier numbers during rainy days.
The March Brown hatch is underway and there have been enough hatching that there were a good amount of March Brown spinners in the air yesterday.
All of our recent guide trips have gone well with our guests taking some beautiful Trout. Over the last few days we have taken Trout with Streamerts, Dries and Nymphs. The nymphing is getting hot!
Over the last week the Wild Rainbows have become more active! In some sections these beautiful Trout are now dominating the catch.
For those of you who like to chase Shad the time is upon us. Big pods of Shad are moving up river daily. There are now some pools in the Main Stem that are full of these Ocean Run Game Fish. Our guests have already tangled with a few on nymph rigs. Here is a shot of a Shad taken in Guide Zach's boat.
The last few trips are finally bringing us Nymph action in just about every riffle and there are finally a few big Rainbows feeding on the surface. The appearance of the Bigger March Browns are sure to keep the Rainbows interested and within a few days just about every fish in the river will be participating in the feast that that will occur over the next 6 weeks or so.
Over the next few days anglers can expect to see the big bug activity improve.
There are still Hendricksons and Early season mayflies on the Tailwaters. These insects will still linger on the East and West branches for some time. Their spinners will make for reliable activity nightly.
The action on the Freestones will be somewhat sporadic in the coming days. Anglers need to be persistent in looking for the best stretches of water. The Trout will be involved in a major change in the coming days. After a long winter of holding and feeding in the deep slow water the next few weeks are moving time. AS the hatches switch to insects that inhabit the riffles and pocket water the Trout will spread out and start to use all of the river.
As the fish spread out the Nymph fishing will pick up steadily. Anglers will also be able to start prospecting the riffles with larger dry flies.
If you plan on getting out this week you should have the usual generic BH nymphs such as pheasant tails, Prince and Hares Ear. Our custom patterns like the Ice Pupa, BH Soft Hackles, and wired nymphs are killing it.
The Dry Fly selection at this time should be pretty big. Once we get to this portion of the season the possibilities are broad regarding what you may encounter. A few thing that are must haves are - Knock Down Duns, Spent WIng / CDC Caddisflies and Hackle WIng Spinners. These will get it done in most circumstances. We have plenty of our custom ties in stock so stop by before heading to the river.
Our guides have some prime time openings available in May and June. Give us a call today to plan your next trip. 607-290-4022
